Two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year, alongside basketball stars Lebron James and Breanna Stewart and American football stars Patrick Mahomes and Laurent Duverney-Tardif.
Japanese star Naomi Osaka claimed her second US Open title and her third Grand Slam trophy beating Victoria Azarenka 1-6 6-3 6-3.
Osaka is the first woman in 25 years to come back from a set down to win the US Open final. The 22-year-old Asian player becomes the youngest three-time Grand Slam champion since Maria Sharapova.
The Japanese player won the third Grand Slam title of her career, but she also became a vocal advocate in the fight against racial injustice, joining a nationwide athlete-led protest that halted play at the Western and Southern Open in New York for a day of reflection before going on to reach the Western and Southern Open final. “At 23, Naomi has become a force on the tennis court, winning the US Open in September for the second time, coming back from a set down to beat Victoria Azarenka”, said Martina Navratilova in Osaka’s Sports Illustrated feature.
